


Fatherhood for Dummies

by Corypuffs



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Dadza, Dave | Technoblade and Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Older Sibling Wilbur Soot, Philza Minecraft radiates dad energy, Philza attracts children, Philza is a dad, Piglin Technoblade, Sleepy Bois Incorporated - Freeform, TechnoBlade, Will add more characters as I go - Freeform, hey girl im a single dad, no respawn, no ships, philza - Freeform, real life minecraft, sbi, sleepy bois inc - Freeform, what's popping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27621223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corypuffs/pseuds/Corypuffs
Summary: Philza was first and foremost a survivalist. He had decided long ago that he didn’t want to depend on anyone else. He knew how to start fires, build shelters, make automated machines, bandage wounds, and track down animals to hunt. He was an expert on these things.If he could go back to the past and tell his younger self he would become a father, he’s sure he would have laughed. But life doesn't go as planned for Phil, and you don't get to choose when family comes into your life.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Phil Watson, Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 187
Kudos: 1891





	1. Step 1: Find a Son

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a multi chapter fic and I will try to post often but because of my school schedule it might not be consistent. I plan to add the other sleepy bois later on and I will try to go into the storyline of the Dream SMP. If you like it and want me to continue please let me know, it means a lot. Thank you :)
> 
> Also follow me on Twitter @CoryPuffs :D

Phil was first and foremost a survivalist. He had decided long ago that he didn’t want to depend on anyone else. He knew how to start fires, build shelters, bandage wounds, and track animals to hunt. He was an expert on these things. Phil was only 16 when he left his childhood home forever, his parents hugged him goodbye as he took off from the top of their small house. His dark wings propelling him into the sky as fresh air filled his lungs.

Now if he could go back to the past and tell his younger self he would become a father, he’s sure he would have laughed. If he told himself it would be a piglin child he would have thought he was insane. Phil didn’t want anyone or anything to hold him down; the thing he cherished the most was his freedom after all. But here he was sitting in a little alcove in the Nether with a small child bundled up in his cloak.

“Hey hey, shhh” he whispered to the trembling piglin. It’s small eyes were wide with terror and pain. “I’m not gonna hurt you I promise but you need to be quiet please”

Phil quickly dipped his head out of their hollow cave and saw the horrifying ghasts still gliding around nearby. This had started as simple mission for more glowstone powder when the ghasts had shot at him out of nowhere. In the carnage of the blasts a tiny piglin had been injured. The child’s pack had left him behind in panic, and although Phil had never seen piglins as anything but monsters, the painful screams of the child had snapped something inside of him. He needed to protect the small creature.  
Phil let out a sigh and pulled his head back in to gaze down at the whimpering child.

“Please please shhh. You’ll be okay, I’m going to keep you safe,” he pleaded but the creature didn’t respond; he wasn’t sure if the piglin even understood him.

His wings gently cupped the young creature while Phil dug through his coat pockets for anything that could calm the child. His fingers brushed up against a small bundle of wool he had been keeping in case of emergencies. A victorious smile spread across his face. He took out the soft material and handed it to the creature. It’s small hooves dipped into the fluff as it snuggled closer. It wasn’t long before the child’s tears had stopped and it was peacefully asleep in the crook of Phil’s wing, the wool squished close against its fragile body.

Phil cooed softly and sat down against the cracked rocky wall. His hand migrated to the top of its little head where he gently ran his fingers behind its folded ears. In return, the piglin started making a soft noise almost like a cat purring. Phil knew he had to escape the Nether but the child looked so peaceful he couldn’t bear to wake him. While still cradling the kid in his wings he pushed a couple large rocks in front of the cavern's entrance. He fell asleep with the soft snores of the piglin filling the room like a lullaby.

Phil was woken up by a painful tug on his hair.

“Huh what uh...oh” he smiled down at the small piglin who must have woken up before him. He seemed to be interested in his green and white hat; his little hoof-like hands reached up for it.

“You like this?” Phil chuckled and reached up to touch it, “Here you can wear it for now little guy”

He placed the humorously large hat on top of the tiny piglin’s head and the child squealed with delight. He tugged the hat down even farther before tripping over himself onto the rough ground.

“Careful now, careful,” Phil laughed before turning back to the cave’s entrance.

“I guess we’re gonna have to find a way to get you out of here huh?” he whispered, though it was mostly to himself and not to the small piglin rolling on the floor with his hat. The child had pulled it down so far only his little tusks could be seen poking underneath.

As he brainstormed an escape rout, Phil felt hard hooves grab onto his leg.

“What’s up little guy?” Phil grinned as he scooped up the kid with his wings, its leg was still bloodied from the day before. The child squealed and waved his arms at the wall.

“Woah woah, yeah I get it, we’re gonna get out of here soon, I just gotta make sure it’s safe," Phil promised. He pushed away the rocks blocking the exit and to his pleasure he noticed the ghasts previously hunting them were nowhere to be seen.

“You’re gonna have to be good while I get you out of here okay? Once we get home I can patch you up” The piglin snorted, which Phil took as a sign of agreement.

“Nice, let’s go,” Phil cradled the child in his arms before pushing his wings and taking off, flying straight towards the portal he had arrived through.

When they arrived through the other side of the portal the child's fear became apparent

“You’ve never seen the overworld, have you little guy?” Phil muttered, “Well it’s a lot safer here, and you’re gonna have to stay with me at least for a little while”

The piglin just glared at the world around him and snuggled closer into Phil’s chest. Little huffing noises escaped his mouth like he was trying to growl at the world around him.

“Hey don’t be like that it’s not that bad,” Phil chuckled.

The child grumbled even more and pulled Phil’s hat over his face like a shield. Phil's couldn't resist the smile that spread across his face due to creature's stubborn attitude.

“Alright little guy let’s go get you patched up.”

He carried the child into his little log cabin and placed him down on the rickety kitchen table. He pulled out his first aid kit he always kept in one of his chests and walked back over to the distracted piglin, whose little beady eyes roamed around the room eagerly.

“I’m gonna have to disinfect your cuts little guy so this might hurt a bit,” he warned, though the small creature didn’t even look at him. He was too distracted by all of the portraits and pictures covering Phil’s walls. Phil unraveled a bit of bandaging tape and wiped down the child’s legs which had been badly burned by the ghasts. The piglin hissed and bared its tusks at Phil who just smiled gently back in return.

“I know, I know it hurts, but if I don’t clean this it might get infected.”

Of course, the piglin didn’t understand this and took instead to scratching at Phil’s hand. A little drop of blood fell from the scrape, but Phil ignored it and kept cleaning out the wounds.

“See it wasn’t that bad,” Phil said as he wrapped up the boy’s legs with a bit of fabric.

The piglin huffed but looked up at Phil appreciatively. Phil’s green and white hat was still drooping over his small face.

“You hungry little guy? I’ve got food but uh,” Phil stopped to think, “I don’t really know what you eat hmm.”

He paced over to his desk where a stack of his father’s old journals sat collecting dust. He opened the one with his father’s notes on the Nether but to his dismay it said hardly anything about piglins rather than a couple lines of text: "they have extremely short tempers, and can be very dangerous to unaware travelers, make sure to bring them gold so they won’t harm you."

Phil sighed, it wasn’t very helpful and as he turned to look at the small child who was still sitting on top of his kitchen table, running his hooves against the rough wood, dangerous was not how he would describe him.

“I don’t know what to give you little guy but I can let you choose if you want,” he said as he motioned to his chest filled with food and preserves.

The little piglin hopped off the table and stumbled a little before steadying himself on his hooves and waddling over to the chest. He struggled with the clasp due to his hoof-like hands, so Phil walked over to unlock it for him. Then the small creature threw himself face forward into the chest, digging through the supplies until he pulled himself back out with a potato in hand.

“That’s what you want?” Phil chuckled, “Okay, I guess.”

The piglin took a bite and nodded happily. His small tail waggling like a dog.

“God you’re cute aren’t you, and I can’t really take you back now can I?” Phil asked. The piglin just stared blankly at the man and took another bite.

“I guess it’s okay if you stay here with me for a little while but you need a name don't ya?” Phil smiled, “Do you have a name?”

The piglin just continued to eat in silence.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Phil laughed.

He walked back over to his desk to reorganize the journals while the child ate, but as he stacked the books up he failed to realize that the piglin had run over to join him. He turned and bumped into the piglin both knocking down the child and one of the journals out of Phil’s hands. The piglin grumbled and shook his head before placing his little hooves on the journal; he flipped through the pages happily like a dog with a new toy.

“You think that’s fun, heh? We should get you some real things to play with then,” Phil chuckled.

The piglin made several happy squeaking noises as his little hands buzzed through the pages before he stopped at one page. The shimmery blue ink read "The Technological Advancements of Jason Watson."

“Hmm, those are my dad’s inventions. He was always good with redstone,” Phil told the piglin thoughtfully, but the small child was too busy running his hands over the shimmery writing. Phil watched as the child gazed at it in awe, his little hands covering everything so all Phil could see was part of the title: Techno.

“Techno,” Phil said quietly, just thinking out loud, but when the child turned to look at him, eyes wide, Phil repeated himself.

“Techno?”

The piglin squeaked.

“You like that huh? Kinda strange but I guess you’re kinda strange aren’t you,” Phil smiled.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see red and blue starting reflect off of the nearby lake. Nightfall would come soon, and with it monsters would start to come out. He knew that the child was used to danger, having come from the Nether, but the idea of trying to manage a tiny monster child while also trying to keep him safe made Phil’s anxiety spike.

“Well come on Techno, it’s getting late let’s get you to sleep,” Phil told the boy, pulling the journal away from him.

He bundled up the young piglin in his arms and took him to his room where he cuddled up into Phil’s side. As soon as his little head hit the pillow he was out, and Phil watched the rise and fall of the child’s chest as he slept. He used to think he liked being alone but something about the gentle life lying next to him, made him rethink this. Techno had brought something out of Phil he didn’t even know he had in him, and he knew he would do anything to keep this child safe. He let out an exhausted sigh, wrapped his arms around the small boy, and let his mind relax.

But one thought remained in his tired mind.

How the fuck was he going to raise a piglin?


	2. Step 2: Teach Your Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teach your son how to farm (its good for the economy)

Phil woke up to a small weight on his chest and sunlight shining through his thin curtains. He looked down to his chest where the small piglin was still sleeping peacefully. Techno, he corrected himself, his name was Techno. The child’s squeaky snores made Phil chuckle, and every once in a while his hooved legs would kick out like he was running in a dream.

Phil gently rolled Techno off of his chest so that he could get ready for the day. He brushed out his hair and placed his hat, which was still laying on the kitchen table, back onto his head. Phil yawned and stretched out his wings before stepping outside of his small cabin.  
So much had changed in such a short period of time. Usually on a normal day like this he would be far from his house as soon as he woke up, mining or gathering supplies for his next project. But now he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t leave, otherwise only god knew what Techno would get up to unsupervised.

He looked back into the house where he could still see the small form of the young piglin sleeping peacefully and let out a held breath. He probably had a little bit longer before the boy woke up.

He walked across the nearby lake to the open area where his small patch of farmland was located. He pulled out a small wooden watering can from a nearby chest and poured water over his small patch of crops. He took notice that he would soon need to plant more since he had another mouth to feed. He grabbed a bag of feed for his chickens but before he could even get into the coup he was interrupted by a loud shriek.

“Fuck Techno,” Phil exclaimed and dropped the bag onto the floor, the feed spilling everywhere.

His wings were moving before he could even think to fly and as fast as light he was in the air. He soared into the forest where he heard another shriek. It was coming from the lake.

Awful images of Techno drowning or being attacked by some surviving monsters filled his head as he plummeted down to the lake. It was only when he saw Techno standing near the lake perfectly unharmed that he slowed down. He stood still for a moment and observed the piglin, wondering what had caused the scream. The piglin kicked his hooves at the dirt a little bit and looked around the clearing before letting out another scream.

Now extremely confused, Phil flapped down to land next to the child who immediately perked up at the sight of the winged man.

“Hey what’s with all the screaming Techno? What happened?” Phil asked as he bent down to the boy’s level.

The piglin just snorted with a large smile on his face and threw himself at Phil’s legs.

“What’s going on?” Phil asked again, but once more there was no answer from Techno besides a happy snort.

“Did you just miss me?” Phil questioned and at that Techno snorted even louder burying himself into the older man’s chest.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry for leaving Techno,” Phil sighed, “But next time please don’t scream to get me to come, you almost gave me a heart attack. I thought you were dying or something.”

Techno looked up at Phil and nodded eagerly, a large smile still plastered on his face and his small tusks poking out from under his lips.

“Well, I still have to work on the farm today so I have enough food for the both of us... Wanna come little guy?” Phil asked and Techno nodded again quickly.

Phil picked up Techno in his arms and flew back to the farmland. It was relatively small and unorganized, but Techno got so excited as they drew near Phil was afraid he’d fall right out of his arms. They landed near the chicken coop where the bag of feed was still emptied on the ground. Phil huffed and started to push the feed back into the bag, if he had to raise a child he couldn’t let it go to waste, and the chickens ate it off the ground anyway. He doubted they would mind.

Phil smiled as Techno immediately tried to help shovel the feed back into the fabric sack, and when Phil brought it to the chickens Techno started chasing them around snorting happily.

“Hey you can’t give our chickens a heart attack they’re the only ones I’ve got,” Phil chuckled but the piglin didn’t listen and instead chose to grab onto one of the frightened chicken's wings.

The bird shrieked and Techno snorted happily to himself, white feathers stuck between his fingers.

“Fuck, you're a little sadist aren’t you?” Phil laughed to himself, “Come on I’m gonna teach you how to take care of the crops.”

The rest of the day was spent expanding their little farm. Phil put up wooden fencing around new plots of tilled soil and taught Techno how to plant the seeds. Surprisingly, the little piglin had taken to planting extremely well. By the end of the day, Phil was pretty sure Techno had planted the crops faster than he ever had, and the child looked so pleased with himself when he finished that Phil promised him he could take care of planting from then on. As the sun set they walked back to the cabin together, he tucked Techno into bed, placed his hat on his desk, and cuddled up next to the boy.

“What should we do tomorrow huh?” he asked himself quietly. There was a moment of silence before Techno turned to face Phil.

“F-farm!” the boy shouted in a strangely scratchy and deep voice for a boy his size.

Phil stared in awe at Techno who had seemingly gone back to sleep after his surprising outburst.

“You...you can talk!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this one instead of doing hw so wish my grades luck. Also I promise the next few chapters are going to go a lot faster than these two but I just wanted to build onto their relationship before I really get into the story. Within the next few chapters I plan on adding someone new to the story too! 
> 
> Also the screaming thing is based on the stream with Tommy where he asks Techno to scream and he doesn't even hesitate. I thought it would be funny if since they cant really communicate yet he screams to get Phil's attention and that's why when Tommy asks him to scream its not a big deal to Techno. :)


	3. Step 3: Buy Your Son a Weapon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buy your son a weapon (then he can bully you better)

A year after Phil had found Techno the pair had grown inseparable. Anywhere Phil went the piglin could be found somewhere nearby. Techno was a regular part of Phil’s life, and he was so thankful to have him as company. The boy helped him regularly with the farm, and with extra hands around, Phil’s little cabin had become significantly nicer. The company of the child had filled a hole in Phil’s heart he hadn’t even recognized was there before. Phil found it funny, when he first decided to bring the child into his life he had thought it would be too restricting on his freedom, but the boy’s presence had honestly been anything but restricting. Every weekend Phil and Techno would pack their bags and take off to explore; they’d stop at town after town and Techno would wait patiently as Phil documented their travels in his journals. After a while, Phil often found that the time he spent with his son was much more pleasurable than the time he spent without him.

Phil wasn’t exactly sure when he started to consider the piglin his son but somewhere during that first year together, his fatherly instincts had expanded and filled his heart. Now the idea of not having Techno in his life scared him deeply. Every once in a while he’d have a nightmare that something awful had happened to the piglin boy and he’d wake up in a cold sweat. He’d only be able to go back to sleep after checking on Techno, who he'd find sleeping soundly in the small room Phil had added on to the cabin, only a couple months into his stay. It was undeniable that Phil needed Techno just as much as Techno needed Phil.

However, the first time he actually used the word “son” in reference to the piglin was when he had taken him out to town to buy more seeds for their farm. He had given Techno some gold to choose his own crops since at that point Techno worked on their farm almost every day. Techno had snorted out a “thanks” to Phil and ran back to the dirt road with the farmer’s market. Phil laughed at the boy’s eagerness, but as he caught up he saw Techno getting scolded by an older gruff-looking man. Techno’s body was stiff, a pouch of seeds was clutched in his hands, as the man at the booth shouted at him. 

“Hey hey, what’s happening here?” Phil yelled, running over to the altercation.

“Ah, so it’s yours then,” the wrinkly man grumbled, “This thing musta taken some of your gold. Caught em takin’ some of my seeds.”

Phil looked back and forth between the disgruntled man and his son’s fearful face before stepping in front of Techno.

“Oh ah, sorry sir, but there must have been some kind of misunderstanding. This is my son, and I gave him that money,” Phil explained.

The man snorted and laughed. He tilted his head towards the side to look down at the piglin who was still hiding behind Phil. 

“Ya’know I’m no doctor, but I don’t think that things your son,” the man snorted as he reached over to grab the gold from Techno, “But fine take the seeds get along now, I don’t want any of those things around here anyway.” 

That night Phil had sat Techno down at the kitchen table to apologize for what had happened at the market, but the boy simply smiled at him.

“I’m son?” the piglin croaked out.

Phil smiled softly and placed his hat onto the young boy’s head. The piglin scoffed and snatched the hat off of his head, laughing. Phil gazed fondly at Techno and grinned, “Yeah, you’re my son Techno.”

Now, it was almost the anniversary of the day Phil had found Techno in the Nether. He doubted his son remembered since he was still so young, but he wanted to do something special for him. Looking back on it, it was crazy to Phil how much the boy had grown in only a year; he definitely grew much faster than any human child. Currently he was a little taller than Phil’s waist, so much bigger than the boy he had found in the Nether who wasn’t much bigger than his forearm. 

“Techno!” Phil yelled across the house, “I’m going out to the market, are you gonna work on the farm today?”

Phil waited at his door for a second before he got a gruff response from his son who had probably just woken up.

“Yeh. Gotta plant new corn.”

Phil chuckled and shouted his goodbyes to the tired boy before taking off towards the nearest town. It had been a while since he’d gone out by himself to the point where it almost felt strange not having Techno’s hooves gripping onto his back as he soared through the air. But he couldn’t have Techno come with him that day, he had a surprise for him.

The previous week Techno had found Phil’s weapon stash for the first time. Phil didn’t have much, just a simple gilded blade in case of emergencies and a shimmering trident he had found at a seaside village, but Techno had immediately taken interest in them. It became such a pain trying to keep Techno away from the sharp (and dangerous) objects that Phil had finally decided to buy Techno a training sword. He hoped that if he had a slightly less deadly sword to play with it would be just as fun for Techno, and a million times less stress-inducing for Phil.

Once he reached the town just a couple miles east of his cabin he swooped down towards the armory. The small cobblestone building was bustling with people, and hanging all around the walls were deadly looking swords, spears, axes, and god knows what else. Phil actually knew the man who ran the armory, and, while he knew his old friend was skilled, he hadn’t realized just how skilled he must have been for it to be that packed. As he pushed through the waves of people he waved frantically as his old friend came into sight.

“Ay, Scott!” Phil yelled, hoping he’d be noticed among the crowded building. 

The brown haired man whipped his head towards Phil and smiled wide. He handed off a bluish tinted broadsword to the muscular man he had been talking to before and approached Phil with open arms. 

“Hey Phil it’s been a while since you’ve come to visit you hermit,” he joked.

“Ha yeah, I’ve been doing some remodeling at home, wasn’t enough room anymore,” Phil explained as he followed Scott to the back of the store, away from the crowd.

“Not enough room for what? You, yourself, and your reflection?” Scott scoffed.

Phil turned to Scott, “Well, about that actually, uh I have a son now?” 

“No way, when did you get laid Phil?” Scott laughed.

“What no, I found him. In the Nether,” Phil said exasperatedly.

“Mhm, that’s what they all say Philly,” Scott chuckled, “Well why are you here then?”

“Well actually I was hoping to find a training weapon for my son, he-well he’s taken an interest in mine but uh I’m worried they’re a little bit too dangerous for him right now,” Phil sighed, “You got anything?”

Scott slapped Phil on the back and smiled, “Of course I do, come with me.”

Phil followed Scott to a small corner of the store where a rusty metal stand held several wooden swords. He examined them all carefully before pulling out the middlest one; it was a little bit longer than Phil’s arm with a soft warm color.

“How old’s your kid Phil?”

Phil was taken off guard by the question and panicked a little, “Uh I...well I actually don’t really know. He well I don’t know how old he was when I found him and uh...I also think he ages differently-”

“What the fresh fuck are you going on about Phil, it should be a simple answer,” Scott smirked at him, but handed the sword to Phil all the same.

"Well he's uh, well he's a piglin. And I'm still unsure of how like age and shit works with him," Phil explained embarrassingly.

Scott smiled, “Well, you’re ageless son should enjoy this as a practice sword. It’s jungle wood so it’s a bit softer than the other kinds; it’ll be good for him to learn with.”

Phil nodded appreciatively, “I’m sure he will Scott.”

With that he gave a handful of gold to Scott, gave him a long hug, and walked towards the door.

However, on the way out of the building a kid, probably a little older than Techno, slammed straight into Phil and dashed out of the store. A whole pack of tall shouting men trailed behind him. Phil watched the altercation from the ground with amazement as the thin brown haired kid ran circles around the older men before disappearing into an ally. After a few seconds Phil dusted off his coat, picked up the sword he had dropped, and looked in awe at the ally he saw the child dip into. He wondered what had happened to cause such a mess, but he knew he didn’t have time to investigate. Phil didn’t like leaving Techno alone for too long, so with a flap of his wings he took off towards home. He examined the sword in his hand and laughed.

“Yeah Phil, give the demon child a sword what could go wrong?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: has 8 missing assignments  
> Also Me: writes fan fiction about a single dad and his adopted son
> 
> Also ooooh who was the kid??? Idk?????????? Guess you'll have to wait until I'm motivated to write again to find out :-)


	4. Step 4: Fight Crime With Your Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fight crime with your son (it builds character)

“Techno! You here?” Phil shouted as he landed outside their little farm. He stretched out his wings and tucked them back against his coat. He waited a second before he saw Techno pop his head out of their rickety old shed; his plain white shirt was covered in dirt.

“Someone looks like they’ve been working hard,” Phil laughed.

Techno brushed some of the dirt off of his shirt and smiled back at Phil.

“Planted more corn,” he said softly. Phil was still impressed at how far his English had come in such a short time.

Phil walked over to the gated off area where their crops were growing, and sure enough a new row of soil had been tilled.

“Looks great Techno,” he patted his son’s head, “but hey, do you know what day it is?”

Techno looked up at him with a confused expression and shrugged.

“A year ago today is when I found you y’know,” Phil smiled. Techno’s eyes met his before he looked back down at the ground and kicked a rock with his hoof. 

Phil chuckled softly at the boy, “Hey, I actually have a surprise for you. Wanna call it a day for now?”

Techno nodded and Phil let the boy climb onto his back. He made sure Techno was secure before taking off into the sky.

They walked inside the cabin together, the floorboards squeaked under the weight of the two. Looking around the cabin, it felt so much more like a home to Phil now that he wasn’t alone. Everywhere he looked there were signs of the piglin in his life: a picture of Techno and Phil on a small boat together, an ink print of one of Techno’s hands, scratches on the floor boards from Techno’s rough hooves, and a blue shimmery drawing of Phil Techno had given him as a gift. 

Techno jumped up onto the kitchen table and looked at Phil questioningly.

“Wait here for a second, I’ll go grab it for you,” Phil told the boy, and walked back into his room to grab the wooden sword he had wrapped up with some newspaper and string. 

He brought it out and handed it to Techno who held it delicately in his hands. He held it out in front of him before ripping through the paper. As soon as his eyes met the wooden exterior of the weapon he perked up, and a tiny excited snort left his mouth. Phil laughed, he hadn’t heard Techno make those noises since he was little.

“Well...do you like it?” Phil asked curiously.

The boy held out the sword in front of him and stared at it in awe before leaping to hug his father. Phil grabbed onto him and held his son close, the wooden sword pressed up between them.

“Happy birthday Techno, I love you,” Phil whispered.

The boy looked up at him and grinned before wildly swinging the sword around. 

“Woah woah woah, calm down there,” Phil laughed and grabbed the boy’s arm. Techno grinned at Phil and yanked his arm away to run outside.

Phil laughed and dashed out behind his son. Techno was swinging the sword around like a small tornado. 

“Come on, want me to teach you some stuff Tech?” Phil smiled at the excited child.

Techno nodded rapidly, so the rest of the day was spent teaching the piglin basics. 

Surprisingly to Phil, he took to the blade extremely well. Phil showed him how to hold the weapon and how and when to strike. By nightfall, he was already able to duel Techno with a stick in his hand. They exchanged strikes back and forth until one of their weapons was knocked away. Obviously, he went easy on the young boy but it still filled his heart with pride watching how confident he was with the sword. And everytime Techno managed to knock the stick out of Phil’s hands he’d smile so wide his small tusks poked out of his mouth.

The next few weeks went the same way. Techno and Phil would wake up to go work on the farm, Phil would stop by town, and then they would practice sword fighting until nightfall. After only two months Techno had become extremely talented with the sword, though Phil wouldn’t admit it, it had actually become fairly difficult to beat his son in training. Sometimes when he came home from town he’d find Techno outside their cabin sparring with imaginary enemies. He’d watch him with pride as his son practiced his technique even with no one around.

“Techno at this rate I’m gonna have to get you a real blade soon aren’t I? You’re too good for that one,” Phil chuckled as he landed down next to his son who had been slicing at a tree with a smiley face drawing tacked on. 

“Oh...Hullo,” Techno looked up at Phil with a smile.

Phil patted his head, “I’ll get you a nicer one soon, I promise.”

Phil walked into the cabin and grabbed some food from one of their chests to start preparing dinner when the heavy rhythmic sound of hooves bursted through the clearing. Phil dropped the vegetables he had been holding, threw on his hat, and dashed outside to see what was wrong. 

Outside his house there was quite a sight. A large heavily armoured black horse was whinnying in fear with a man, Scott, on his back as Techno tried to attack it with his small sword. Techno beat at the horse’s legs with his sword as the horse panicked and reared away from the child.

“Hey hey Techno! No they’re friends,” Phil panicked and grabbed onto the boy to pull him away.

Techno looked up at him in confusion and Phil just motioned for him to stay back. The horse started to calm down but it still watched the piglin with fear.

“Scott what happened? Why are you here?” Phil asked as he helped his friend off the horse.

“Fucking bastard,” Scott spit out, “This little bastard that’s been going around town...he got into my store last night. He took some of my best stuff.”

Phil nodded, “Okay, but uh... if you don’t mind me asking, why did you come here? Couldn’t you have told the town guards?”

Scott tethered his horse to the side of the cabin and shrugged.

“I already told those bastards ages ago about the menace, but they haven’t done anything about it. He’s been stealing from everyone but the guards suck at their job and can’t catch even a dumb kid,” Scott grumbled.

“Ah I’m sorry,” Phil said. He looked down at Techno who had appeared from behind his legs to stare at Scott.

“Oh Techno, this is my old friend Scott. Scott, this is my son, Techno. He’s the one who got you that sword,” Phil told the two. 

Techno walked nervously up to Scott who smiled and waved at the boy. 

“Hey Techno, I hope you’re liking that sword,” Scott grinned.

Techno nodded at him and showed off the wooden blade that was almost always attached to his hip. The horse standing besides Scott huffed in panic at the sight of it.

“Well Phil, let’s get to why I’m here,” Scott turned back to Phil, “So you know how you used to be one of the town guard before you became a hermit?”

“What do you want from me Scott?” Phill sighed.

“I need you to find the brat,” Scott stated, “He’s caused too many problems and since none of the new guards are capable enough to get the job done, we need someone who can actually catch him-”

“No,” Phil deadpanned, “That’s not my job anymore, and plus it’s just a kid. You can’t seriously expect me to go beat up a child Scott.”

“No, you don’t have to beat him up just uh, knock some sense into him,” Scott explained, "Seriously though Phil, it’s getting wild. Everyday that kids out stealing from innocent people...if you don’t catch him, I don’t know what will happen if he pisses off the wrong people.”

Phil huffed and rubbed his forehead between his fingers, “Fine fine, I’ll find him but this isn’t gonna be an everyday thing alright.”

“Thank you Phil, it’s for the good of everyone I promise,” he grinned.

“Mhm now go, I’m making dinner,” Phil motioned to the horse.

Scott waved once more at Techno and Phil before galloping away into the woods. 

The next morning Phil woke up early, the loud squacks of their rooster signifying that it was dawn. Usually he wouldn’t get up this early but Techno and him had a job to do. He pulled his green and white hat on and padded over to his son’s room where soft snores filled the air. Techno was cuddled up in a red quilt Phil had brought him from one of his trips and his floppy ears kept twitching in his sleep.

“Hey Techno, time to get up bud,” he whispered gently, and Techno groaned in response. He rubbed at his eyes before dramatically pulling the quilt over his face.

Phil laughed and picked the boy up in his arms. Techno squealed as he started tickling him, his scratchy laughter filled the room.

After a lot of arguing and a lot of Techno dramatically flopping on the floor Phil managed to prepare them for their trip. As the sun finally came out, they were off in the air heading towards town.

When they landed the town was still relatively asleep. A couple people were out and about setting up their stands for the day, but it was much emptier than it had been when Phil had gone to pick up Techno’s sword. 

“Hmm, how are we gonna find this kid huh Techno?”

Techno just shrugged in response and let out a big yawn.

The two of them walked down the streets of the little town looking for anything or anyone suspicious. After almost an hour of nothing Phil was ready to head home. It wasn’t even his problem anyway. But as soon as he was going to suggest leaving to Techno, Techno pulled on his coat aggressively and pointed to a small bank across the street.

Right outside a tall woman in all black, probably security Phil thought, was yelling for help. Phil jogged over with Techno at his heels to ask what had happened. The woman continued to yell and pointed further down the road where, lucky for Phil, the boy he had seen the other day was sprinting away.

Immediately, Phil took off in chase, Techno tried to run behind him but his legs were no match for Phil’s wings. The brown haired boy looked back and gasped as he saw Phil flying at him; he looked back and forth before slipping into a small alley between two stores. Phil landed to try squeeze through, but it was too tight for him. Unfortunately for the boy however, he was also stuck. The only way out was through the path Phil was blocking, and the child, who seemed to notice this, bowed his head down in fear. He looked to be around 13 years old; Phil wondered why he was out here.

“Fine you caught me take the stupid bag,” he grumbled and threw a small brown pouch at Phil’s feet. Phil bent down and examined it before looking towards the boy.

“I’ll make sure to get this back to its owner, but I would really like to talk to you,” Phil said softly, “...You’re kinda famous around here y’know?”

“Just arrest me already okay,” the boy huffed.

“Hey I’m not the cops kid, I just wanna talk. Here,” Phil stepped out of the way of the path, so the boy was no longer trapped, “See you’re free to leave if you want. If you don't mind me asking, what’s your name?”

“Why would I tell you, old man?” the boy spat.

“Well my names Phil, it just generally makes it easier to have a convers-”

“Wilbur”

Phil stopped, “Huh?”

“My name’s Wilbur,” the boy looked down again.

“Well it’s nice to meet you Wilbur,” Phil smiled, “I just wanted to know...why are you doing this? Where’s your parents? They’d be upset if they knew you were out here doing this shit all the time y’know.”

Wilbur scoffed, “My parents died old man, I’m just doing what I have to.”

Phil’s expression softened and he let out a small “Oh.”

Phil gestured towards the ground near where he was sitting and Wilbur hesitated before taking a seat next to the older man.

“I don’t have anything. I have to do this to live, it’s not like anyone’s gonna look out for me otherwise…” Wilbur hummed.

The more Phil looked at the kid the more his heart ached for him. Wilbur was extremely thin and his clothes were torn up in places. Honest to god the kid looked (and smelled) like he’d never taken a bath in his life. 

“Here, take some of this,” Phil reached into his coat pocket and took out a pouch of gold, “You need it more than I do.”

Wilbur’s eyes widened at the money, “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

Phil shook his head, “No, take it.” He dropped the bag into Wilbur’s lap who’s wide eyes started shining with tears he was obviously trying to hold back.

At that moment Phil heard someone else sprinting behind him, he turned and saw his son who’s face was bright red and out of breath. Wilbur glared at the piglin in confusion and reached towards his belt. Phil panicked as he saw the glinting metal of a dagger. 

“Woah woah woah, no he’s okay I promise,” Phil exclaimed to Wilbur.

“That’s... a pig,” Wilbur stated blankly at Techno who huffed in response.

“And you’re an orphan,” Techno responded gruffly.

“A talking pig,” Wilbur looked at the pair with confusion, “Have you drugged me? Am I getting kidnapped?”

Phil laughed, “No...but if you ever need it our house is open.” 

"Huh?" Wilbur looked at Phil in shock.

Phil reached into his coat and then handed Wilbur a small piece of paper; it was a wrinkled map. Phil pointed to a small opening in the forest around the town.

“That’s where we live,” Phil explained, “If you ever need anything stop by, we’ll have room.”

Wilbur looked at Phil in awe, the gold still clutched in his fist.

“Well, you’ve answered all my questions Wilbur,” Phil smiled as he stood up, “I say it’s our time to leave now...and kid, if you ever feel like you need to cause trouble like this again stop by. I’ll get you whatever you need.”

Wilbur stood up and just nodded in silence, small tears still stuck in the corners of his eyes. 

Techno grabbed onto Phil’s back as he prepared to take them home. Techno waved at Wilbur, but huffed as Wilbur responded with a lighthearted “pig.” Phil jokingly saluted at Wilbur as he took off with Techno. From the air he could still see Wilbur staring up at them.

He only hoped that soon he’d get to see the boy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom boom crime boy has joined the fight


	5. Step 5: Let Your Sons Bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let your sons bond (violence is the best way to form relationships)

Wilbur had been fine on his own for his entire life; he didn’t need help and he refused to become anyone’s charity project. Whatever he needed he could find on his own, although whether or not he obtained it legally was another story. But in the end as long as he had food to eat it didn’t really matter. At least he had felt that way until his stomach started to ache, and he realized that for the first time in years he could actually buy food for himself. When he walked over to the town bakery and handed a gold piece to the kind older lady at the front desk she had looked at it with wide eyes.

“This is yours?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Wilbur nodded. 

As he walked out of the bakery with bread he actually hadn’t stolen he felt thankful for the man who had helped him. Even if his pet was weird (he wouldn’t admit to it, but within the days following the strange encounter every time Wilbur saw a pig he’d glare at it, expecting it to open its mouth and insult him.)

He sat on the wooden sidewalk outside the bakery and shoveled the flaky sweet bread into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. With how thin he was though he guessed he probably looked that way to anyone who passed. He ate happily but it wasn’t long before he was interrupted by a fist hitting his side, the last bits of his bread tumbled to the ground.

“Hey - What!?” WIlbur looked up in panic as a large hand grabbed onto his arm.

“You’re coming with us kid”

His eyes widened at the town guard towering above him. There were two men dressed in the green and brown uniforms customary to the guard: one stood beside Wilbur with a club in hand as if he anticipated him fleeing, the other was yanking Wilbur up onto his feet by his already ripped sleeve.

“You had a long run kid but you can’t avoid us forever you bastard,” the one holding his sleeve smirked, his grip on his arm had gotten painfully tight.

“I-I’m sorry I don’t know what you’re talking about sir,” Wilbur pleaded.

“Yeah sure kid,” the one behind him grinned menacingly, “come on we’re taking you in.” 

The guard holding onto Wilbur’s arm yanked his hands together and knotted them with a scratchy rope. Wilbur could already feel it peeling away the skin around his wrists. He shoved Wilbur towards the other guard who roughly pushed him forward. They dragged Wilbur along with them, and at every turn one of the men would grab onto the rope between Wilbur’s hands to force him around. By the time they got to the town prison, Wilbur’s makeshift handcuffs were speckled with blood and the boy’s eyes were tearing up from the pain. 

The prison was a short cobblestone building, a bland-looking stable stood outside with a few horses he assumed belonged to the guard. They shoved him inside the front room of the building and attached the rope between his hands to one of the rusty metal bars of a jail cell. 

“You’re staying here for a while kid until we can get you a trial, we can’t technically arrest you until the judge says so,” the man who had been holding him said begrudgingly, “But don’t get your hopes up. Just cause we can’t throw you in that cell doesn’t mean we ain’t gonna make you suffer just a little bit. You’ve made our jobs too hard to let you get off easy.”

With those parting words the men slammed the front door of the jail closed, leaving Wilbur alone in the dark, tethered to one of the bars.

“Fuck,” Wilbur sighed, “Of course the one time I don’t steal I get caught huh.”

He would have found it amusing if his hands weren’t screaming in agony every time he shifted his stance. He leaned his head back against the bars and took a deep breath.

“How the fuck are you gonna get out of this one?” he thought miserably.

He bowed his head to his chest when he saw a small glimpse of light from his hip. His dagger, of course. He smiled and tried to ignore the immense pain in his hands as he twisted his hips towards the rope. He knew it would be hard but it was at least worth a try. 

He pushed his hip up towards the bar and tried his best to rub the blade against the rope. He imagined that in any other situation he would have found his movements hilarious.

After about an hour or so the rope thumped against the floor, Wilbur rubbed at his wrists where the blistering skin ached in pain. He let out a deep sigh before quickly walking out of the building. He tried to be extremely cautious as he walked outdoors, he was afraid that if he wasn’t careful all his hard work would be undone. And he doubted that the guards would be much nicer to him his second time being caught.

He had to get away from town, and fast. He looked around for anywhere to hide when his gaze landed on the stable, two of the horses were missing, he assumed the guards had taken them on their way out, but one smaller brown horse remained. He wasn’t entirely sure on how to ride a horse, but enough people did it so he assumed it couldn’t be that hard. 

Well...it was that hard. Wilbur struggled to mount the panicked horse that kept snapping at his clothes with its blunt teeth. He tried hushing at the beast but it kicked up its hooves in protest.

“Come on, come on, please,” Wilbur huffed as he threw himself onto the horse’s back. He patted its head and grabbed the reins but the horse still whinnied in anger at the boy. 

“Please, I just need you for a little while and then I’ll let you go,” Wilbur pleaded as he stroked his hands through the horse’s mane. The horse snorted but reluctantly calmed down. 

After a little bit of maneuvering himself onto the horse’s back and trying to figure out how to actually get the horse to leave, Wilbur was on the run. The horse galloped through the streets with the boy desperately trying to keep control of the animal. People swerved out of the way in panic as the large creature plowed through the crowds. Within minutes he was in the forest. 

“Hey, hey. Slow down, slow down,” he whispered to the horse as he let up on the reins. The slamming of hooves slowed down to a trot as Wilbur pulled out a piece of crumpled paper from his pocket. It was the map Phil had given him.

Before now, he hadn't thought about truly taking up the man on his offer, but he couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. He just hoped the offer had been sincere. He shoved the map back into his pocket before taking hold of the reins once again. With a sharp yell the horse took off into the forest in the direction of Phil’s house.

Phil had left the house early that morning, Techno didn’t know where he had gone but he had told him before he left he had to do something in a different town. Techno had nodded and hugged his father goodbye before falling back asleep. 

After a few hours the sun shined into his small bedroom. It was pretty empty; there were a couple drawings of him and his dad on the wall and a rickety rocking chair he had helped make, but besides those and his bed his room was pretty bare. The piglin didn’t mind though, it was comforting and everything about it reminded him of Phil. It reminded him of safety.

He yawned wide and stretched his arms out above his head. His tusks that had grown progressively bigger now stuck out permanently above his lips. He tugged a plain white shirt on and grabbed a couple biscuits from the kitchen before heading out to go work on the farm. His wooden sword dangled from his waist. 

The first thing he did was check on the chickens; he poured their feed on the ground and watched the small birds bounce around happily at his feet. His favorite chicken, a small red one Phil had named “Carl” came to sit near his feet, and Techno smiled as he pet the bird’s head. Next, he checked on his crops. He was proud at how much he had been able to expand their farm in his time with Phil. Their small patch of crops had grown into a sizable field filled with a variety of plants. Techno pulled out his metal watering can and started his rounds for the day, making sure to water each crop carefully. His hooves left little indents everywhere he stepped in the wet soil.

It took him about an hour before all the crops had been watered but he didn’t feel like heading back to the cabin yet. So instead he unsheathed his wooden sword and started sparring with an imaginary enemy. He parried and twirled and stabbed at the air before snapping his head towards the forest in surprise. He heard something.

His breath caught in his lungs as he listened to the steady thumping that was progressively getting louder. He hoped it was just Phil, but Phil never rode horses. His wings were all he needed to get around. As the noise continued to grow Techno panicked and shooed all the chickens back into their coop before brandishing his sword towards the sound. It grew louder and louder until, with a crash, a large brown horse broke through the treeline. 

Techno jumped at the horse to strike when he heard a somewhat familiar voice.

“Hey hey! Stop that pig!”

It was the orphan boy from town again. 

Techno stepped back from the horse but kept his sword out by his side.

“Why are you here?” he grumbled, “Dad’s not home.”

“Oh, well I just got arrested so I kinda needed a place to go when I remembered your uh...owners little offer,” Wilbur told him as he jumped off his horse. 

“He’s my dad,” Techno glowered.

“You’re a pig,” Wilbur laughed.

At that something snapped inside Techno as he stepped forward and shoved Wilbur hard; the other boy grunted as his back hit the rough dirt below him. Techno whipped out his sword and pointed it at Wilbur’s face that was still contorted in pain.

“Go away,” Techno growled.

“Wow nice way to treat a guest pig,” Wilbur smirked.

“You’re a criminal, not a guest,” Techno huffed, “And Phil’s my dad he doesn't own me.”

“Fine fine, sorry,” Wilbur smiled with his hands up in surrender. He pushed himself up but grunted in pain as the cuts on his arms reopened. Techno took notice of this and gestured to his hands with his hoof. 

“...What happened?”

“I already told you I got arrested,” Wilbur grumbled as he dusted the dirt off of his pants.

The two boys looked at each other in silence before Techno gestured for Wilbur to stick out his hands. Wilbur held an arm out and Techno lifted it towards his face to get a better look.

“Uh... nice tusks,” Wilbur said awkwardly as Techno held his hand but Techno just glared up at him silently. 

"Wait," Techno grunted and walked away towards the small shed at the side of the farm. 

Wilbur could hear him rummaging around and after a couple seconds the piglin stepped out with some bandages in his hands (hooves?). He took Wilbur’s hands in his own and started wrapping the bandages around the wounds. Every time Wilbur winced at the pain Techno smiled a little bit, his ears perking up.

“So...uh what are you, exactly?” Wilbur asked as Techno continued to bandage up his ruined arms.

“Piglin,” Techno huffed.

“Oh...like from the Nether?”

“Yup”

“Hmmm,” Wilbur laughed awkwardly, “Not much of a talker are you?”

“Not really,” Techno smirked as he tore the last of the bandaging between his teeth, “There, that should help.”

Wilbur held out his hands in front of his face and smiled, “Thanks, uh I didn’t get your name…”

“Techno,” the piglin told him, “What happened to “pig”?”

“I don’t know, seemed kinda rude after you bandaged me up” Wilbur smiled at him.

“Mhm, not at all because I beat your ass?” Techno asked innocently.

“What!? That didn't count, it wasn’t even fair! I wasn’t ready and I didn’t even know we were fighting,” Wilbur argued, “In a fair fight I promise I’d beat you...Pig.”

“Oh?” Techno smiled as he pulled out his wooden sword. 

Wilbur grinned back as he pulled out his dagger, “You don’t mind that mine is real?”

Techno snorted out a small laugh, “You make it seem like you’re actually gonna hit me.”

“Confident are you Pig?” Wilbur smirked.

“Well I know I can beat a mangy orphan,” Techno quipped back.

With that, Wilbur lunged forward with his dagger and Techno parried it with his larger weapon. The dagger chipped off a piece of the sword. Techno raised up his blade to strike Wilbur from above but the slightly taller boy sidestepped away from the blow. Wilbur tried to thrust the blade forward again, but Techno anticipated it and struck Wilbur from the side, effectively knocking Wilbur onto the floor. The two breathed heavily and Wilbur smiled up at Techno. The piglin reached down to help Wilbur up, but as their hands met Wilbur tugged and sent Techno tumbling to the ground beside him.

“You’re alright I guess,” Wilbur joked.

“Yeah. Better than you,” Techno replied with a lopsided grin. 

Wilbur brushed the dirt off himself, “Wanna go again?” 

Techno thought for a second and looked around the farm before nodding at Wilbur.

The two spent hours sparring with each other. They went back and forth exchanging blows and Wilbur continued to insist that he was better regardless of the fact that every match ended up with him flat against the ground. After countless wins for Techno he started teaching Wilbur fighting tips. He showed him when to strike and how to anticipate what he was about to do, and though Wilbur acted like he didn’t need the advice he made sure to apply the information in their next match. 

Phil arrived home later than he had expected, it was almost dinner time when he landed in the little clearing near his house. He thought it would be a quick in-and-out trip to the seaside town, he just needed to order some planks to help patch up the cabin’s porch, but apparently the town had been having a shortage of wood during the dry season which made the simple chore much more complicated. Phil had to stop by at least three different places before he had ordered enough wood to complete his project. He sighed as he placed his hat and coat down on their kitchen table.

“Techno I’m home,” he yelled out but when he didn’t get a response he started to worry. Techno didn’t usually stay out that late. 

“Techno?” he yelled outside the cabin. When he once again didn’t get any response the worry inside him started to grow. He stretched out his wings and quickly took off towards the farm; it was the only other place he could think of that Techno could be. It was almost dark though, Techno was smarter than that Phil thought. 

Phil flew as quickly as he could towards the farm, every flap of his wings and every second withoutna sight of Techno causing the worry to gnaw at his heart. The farm finally came into his vision and he let out a relieved sigh as he saw two figures moving.

Wait, two? 

Phil scrunched up his face in confusion, the panic returning. He hoped Techno was safe. Phil quickly landed down near the farm where Techno and another boy, Wilbur he remembered, waved at him. At the sight of the boy he had helped in town the other week all worry left his body.

“Hullo,” Techno snorted as Wilbur just waved awkwardly. They were both covered in sweat with their weapons drawn.

“Uh...it’s nice to see you again Will, but what’s going on here?” Phil gestured to the two of them, “It’s almost dark Techno, you know it gets dangerous out here at night. And what’s with the weapons?”

Techno just nodded and looked down at his hooved feet.

“We were sparring,” Wilbur explained to Phil who raised his brow at the boy.

“Sparring huh? With a dagger?” Phil stared at him disapprovingly.

“Oh uh wait, I promise I didn’t hurt him at all I, uh,” Wilbur stumbled over his words, trying to find a good way to explain that he wasn’t actually planning on hurting the man’s son.

“...I kicked his ass dad,” Techno huffed with a small smile.

Phil raised his eyebrows at the two before letting out a sigh and laughing.

“I guess as long as neither of you are hurt it’s fine,” Phil sighed, “But, if I can ask, why did you decide to come here Wilbur?”

Wilbur shrugged nonchalantly, “Oh, well, funny story. I actually got arrested, and then kinda ran away from the cops? And I knew you said I could come here so...”

Phil looked at him with amusement, “Ah, so you expect me to take in a wanted criminal huh? If I let you stay here no more of that, okay?”

“It wasn’t even my fault this time though!” Wilbur exclaimed to Phil who just laughed.

“Alright alright, come on it really is getting dark. You can stay here as long as you need Wilbur we don’t mind,” Phil smiled tenderly.

Techno huffed at that as he wiped the sweat off of his face. 

Together, the three of them walked back to the cabin; Phil tried to keep control as the two kids bickered the whole way there. As the house came into vision Wilbur called out “race you” to Techno who snorted in panic as Wilbur broke into a full sprint. Wilbur leaped up onto the porch a couple seconds before Techno and beamed at him in victory. Techno started to bicker with him about how unfair that was and Phil chuckled as he walked up to the two boys.

They really were like brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First one not really from Phil's pov and I really enjoyed writing it. Now just one more son to go :0


	6. Step 6: Celebrate With Your Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celebrate with your family (it makes for good memories)

A year had passed since Wilbur had come to live with Phil and Techno. He now shared the small bedroom with the piglin boy who had begrudgingly allowed him to stay. Techno had grumbled as they moved a second bed in, but Phil knew it was just an act. Every so often when Phil would go to check on his sons they would be cuddled up together above the sheets snoring softly and holding each other close. Phil would never tell them he saw it but it made his heart swell seeing the boy’s relationship grow. 

In the span of a couple months, the actual fighting between Techno and Wilbur slowly dissolved into playful bickering that would often turn into dramatic sparring matches between the two. Sometimes Phil would even find them by the lake together taking on roles of emperors and generals as they lived through imaginary wars and revolutions in their heads. 

Whenever they sparred, Wilbur would end up flat against the floor with his brother pinning him down. No matter what he’d still insist that he was the winner or that Techno had cheated, though Phil suspected it was just to try to get his brother to laugh. Techno would then help Wilbur up with a small chuckle and they’d bicker some more before going at it once more. It made Phil feel a sense of wholeness seeing his kids spend time together, even if it looked pretty violent.

However, the relationship between the three had started off fairly shaky. Wilbur, who wasn’t accustomed to rules or discipline, often made choices that left Phil enraged and worried. Wilbur would leave out of nowhere during the middle of the night and he’d try to drag Techno along with him on wild missions through the forest. Phil cared about the boy deeply, but sometimes he wondered if the kid’s careless tendencies would ever truly leave him. Within the first couple months of Wilbur’s stay there were several instances where Phil had to sit the boy down to discuss his dangerous behavior with him. After these talks Wilbur would storm out of the house and take his horse (the one he decided to keep after escaping the prison) and disappear for hours. Phil wasn’t entirely sure where he went on these trips, but he knew it was better to let Wilbur have his time to think than to chase after him.

The first time Wilbur stormed out like this, Phil had been in complete shock. He had leaned against the wall in his room and cried. Watching Wilbur take off had left him feeling completely overwhelmed, and for the first time since allowing the kids into his life he wondered if he had made the right decision. He didn’t know how to handle this and he was afraid he had messed up completely. He wasn’t meant to be a parent, he thought miserably.

Techno must have heard his quiet sobs, and Phil snapped his head up as the piglin boy delicately opened his bedroom door. Phil quickly tried to wipe away his tears to not scare his son, but Techno just sat down on the floor next to him and embraced him. Phil pulled his son into his arms and wrapped his wings around the two of them tightly. He sat on the hardwood floor with Techno close to his chest and cried until the piglin boy looked up at him.

“He’ll come back...he’s not mad at you,” Techno whispered in his grumbly voice, “Just let him think.”

Phil nodded slowly as Techno tucked his head under his father’s chin. The two stayed like that until morning and Phil woke up to the small snorts of Techno still asleep in his wings. He gazed lovingly at the small piglin before picking him up and taking him to his bed. However, as he was about to tuck Techno in he heard another noise in the room; he turned to Wilbur’s bed and let out a heavy sigh of relief. 

A gentle snoring came from under the clumped up quilts - Wilbur must have come home during the night. Phil, carefully as to not wake him up, sat on the edge of Wilbur’s bed and stroked his hand through the boy’s curly hair. Wilbur was still wearing the same sweater from the night before and he had fallen asleep with his beanie still on. Phil smiled sadly; he hoped Wilbur knew he wasn’t mad at him. He leaned down and gave his son a small kiss on his forehead before leaving to get ready for the day.

After the first instance of this it became easier to handle. Wilbur would always make sure to hug his father when he came back because he knew he worried whenever he disappeared, and Phil would hold him close and apologize for the fight. With time the disagreements stopped, and Phil saw Wilbur as his son just as much as Techno.

Now, Wilbur’s birthday was in a week. When Wilbur had mentioned his birthday in a passing conversation Phil had panicked and scolded him for not telling them prior. Of course Wilbur just laughed and told them they didn’t have to do anything to celebrate.

“You let me stay, that's enough,” Wilbur had told Phil honestly.

However, as the date edged closer Phil started to panic about what to do for his son. Wilbur had said he wanted nothing but it felt wrong just letting the date pass as if it was no big deal. Phil had asked if he’d like to go on a trip but Wilbur was adamant about staying home his first birthday with a real family. Techno had already agreed to make Wilbur his favorite breakfast, but Phil didn’t know what Wilbur would want as a gift.

Most of Wilbur’s time was spent exploring and mapping out the woods nearby or sparring with his brother. He supposed he could buy him a nicer sword, but he was never as into sword fighting as Techno was. Phil was fairly sure Wilbur only sparred with Techno to spend more time with his brother. It was sweet but probably not the best choice for a gift.

The bright idea of an instrument only hit Phil when he heard Wilbur’s quiet singing voice coming from his room one afternoon. The boy’s soothing melodic voice was beautiful, and Phil was surprised he had never heard him sing before. He knew Wilbur liked to write (he got really into poetry after reading some of Phil’s dad’s journals), but the song coming out of his room was something completely new to Phil. Phil stood outside his son’s door and just listened to his calm voice for a minute and smiled. He probably thought he was home alone.

Phil carefully pushed the door open to not disturb Wilbur, but as soon as the boy noticed his father’s presence he jumped and his mouth slammed closed. 

“Oh hi, When did you get here?” Wilbur asked nervously. 

Phil thought his son’s embarrassment was endearing. 

“You have a very nice voice Will,” Phil said softly.

“...Oh you heard that? Sorry uh, I’m not that good,” Wilbur said as he looked away.

Phil laughed in shock, “What are you talking about? You sound great Wilbur, you’d be a great singer.”

Wilbur scoffed at that but gave a small nervous “thank you” to his father.

That same day Phil found himself in a small music store in town. The old man working there showed him a small oakwood guitar and as Phil held the instrument in his hands he knew it was perfect. He bought a matching yellow strap for the instrument and packed it up for his son.

The day of Wilbur’s birthday Phil and Techno woke him up early. He grumbled at his family and rolled over in his bed, pulling his covers over him completely. Techno had other plans though and grabbed Wilbur, forcefully throwing him over his shoulder. Wilbur yelped at the action and tried to push the piglin away who just laughed at his brother’s stubbornness. They pulled him out to the kitchen where a large breakfast was already set out for them.

Wilbur rubbed his eyes and looked at the food in awe, “You did this for me?” he asked Phil.

“Nope, this was all your brother actually,” Phil smiled. Wilbur turned towards Techno who smiled awkwardly and Wilbur dramatically threw his arms around him knocking the piglin to the floor. 

“Love you pig,” Wilbur laughed as he sat above him, “Also... I just knocked you down. That means I win!”

Techno just shook his head and snorted at him. He’d give him the win on his birthday.

The three ate together for the first time in a while. Within ten minutes Techno and Wilbur were already bickering with each other. Phil ate peacefully as the boys fought over whether or not Will could take the whole cherry pie. (Techno said it was too much food, while Wilbur said it would be his birthday gift). The two decided finally that rock paper scissors was the best way to solve the issue which, as always, ended up in an even bigger argument since Techno had trouble making anything but rock with his hoof-like hands. 

“That was scissors Will,” Techno argued.

“No. That was a broken rock if anything,” Wilbur laughed in return. Techno hit Wilbur in the arm who squeaked dramatically.

“Dad the pig hit me,” he moaned.

Techno yelped, “Heh? No I didn’t.”

The argument continued for a couple more minutes before the boys decided to take it outside to spar. Phil sighed at the now empty table, he supposed it was better than an actual fight. He quietly cleaned up the rest of the meal and packed it away for later. Loud thumping sounds and grunts came from outside. 

As soon as the rest of the food was properly packed up, Phil walked to his room to grab Wilbur’s second surprise for the day. Techno had wrapped it for him so it was a little rough looking but it made Phil smile. His sons’ friendship made him happier than almost anything.  
God, he really was turning into a dad.

Phil gripped the guitar’s neck and held it behind his back as he walked outside to his sons. As soon as he stepped through the doorway Wilbur was thrown onto the floor by Techno. The piglin bent down to grab Will’s hand and tugged him back up to his feet. The boys who still hadn’t seen their father yet gave each other a small hug; Wilbur ruffled the fur on Techno’s head and the piglin snorted happily.

“Wilbur!” Phil called out, “I’ve got one more thing for you.”

Phil smiled as the boys jumped away from each other and came to surround Phil. 

“Close your eyes,” he told Wilbur who threw his arm over his face.

Phil gently placed the guitar into Wilbur’s open hand and told him to open his eyes.

As soon as Wilbur lifted his arm up he gasped.

“You...you didn’t,” Wilbur said softly; his face scrunched up.

“Open it.”

Wilbur carefully unwrapped the messy paper covering the instrument and started to tear up as the guitar’s neck became visible. He unwravelled it completely and held the instrument out in front of him. His eyes were wide with what Phil hoped was happiness.

“I-I love it. I love it so much. Thank you,” Wilbur ran up to Phil who scooped up his son in his wings. He could feel a wetness on his shoulder as he held his son to his chest.

Phil looked up at the other boy who was now standing awkwardly behind them, “Come on Techno. Group hug.”

Techno huffed and looked away, but joined his family’s embrace. Phil wrapped his wings around his boys and squeezed. They both let out small embarrassed huffs but let their dad have a moment.

“Happy birthday Will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's coming soon I promise I just wanted to give Wilbur one more chapter before I threw Tommy in. Also I think I plan on ending this at 10 chapters, I might do a sequel story with it extending into the SMP but it felt wrong connecting it to this since this is so fluffy and we all know the SMP storyline is anything but fluff. I hope you liked reading it though :)


	7. Step 7: Let Your Family Grow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let your family grow (now you have a middle child)

Phil was happy with his family how it was. Originally, he had never even wanted kids, but now with the two boys in his house he felt whole. They were good kids and the constant laughter and excited conversations made the house feel alive.

Phil thought two kids was more than enough for him, but apparently fate didn’t take his feelings into consideration.

When the town postmaster came racing into their clearing on a horse, a neatly folded up letter in hand, Phil didn’t know what to think. Wilbur tore open the paper excitedly but huffed when he noticed it was addressed to Phil.

Phil lifted the paper to examine it, it was a letter from Scott.

“Dear Phil,

I hope this letter reaches you smoothly, there is an issue back in town. I would usually bring the letter to you myself, as it is always a pleasure to visit you but at the moment my hands are a bit tied up with well, you’ll see. Please come quickly, and stay safe my friend.

Scott Major”

Phil’s eyes skimmed over the page a couple more times in confusion. He had no clue what this could be about but he guessed if it was important enough for Scott to send him a letter it was important enough for Phil to check up on.  
Wilbur, who was desperately trying to read the letter from over his shoulder, grabbed it out of his hand before pulling it down for Techno and him to read. Wilbur held in his hands and read it out to his brother.

“Are you gonna go?” Techno asked.

Phil shrugged, “I mean I might as well, I don’t see why not.”

He motioned towards the house, “you boys stay safe while I’m gone alright.”

The kids nodded and waved their goodbyes to Phil as he took off towards town.

The forge was just as crowded as always when Phil arrived. He pushed through the people until Scott’s short brown hair could be seen at the front desk.

“Scott! I got your letter,” Phil called out.

Scott glanced up from counting gold pieces in his hand and smiled. He had large bags under his eyes; he looked like he hadn’t slept in ages.

Phil met him at the desk where Scott pulled him into a hug.

“Glad it got to you safe,” Scott leaned back against the chair, “Now come on I’ve got something to show you.”

He pushed open a small black door at the back of the shop that lead to his living area. It was extremely cozy, a small cot leaned against the far wall and a wooden table stood in the center of the room. At the table sat a young teen that appeared to be holding something on his lap.

“Ay Schlatt, I’ll watch the kid for now you manage the store,” Scott told him.

As the boy, Schlatt, turned to nod thankfully at his boss Phil got a better glimpse of the young employee. He had wild brown hair and gleaming mischievous eyes. He looked to be around Wilbur’s age. The most curious thing about him though were the two large horns wrapping around the sides of his head.

“Got it,” Schlatt said as he gently handed over a bundle of blankets to Scott.

“Well here he is Phil,” Scott said motioning towards the clump in his arms.

Phil looked at it with confusion before a tiny hand poked out of the blankets.

“What the fuck?” Phil exclaimed as the small face of a wild-looking toddler fought its way out from under the blanket.

“Yeah I had the same reaction when the kid was dropped off here,” Scott explained, “He was left by our door and I’ve asked around but no ones up for taking him.”

Phil gazed at the struggling child and paused. 

“...Any you called me here why?”

Scott chuckled, “Can’t you guess?”

Phil shook his head with a disgruntled expression plastered on his face.

“I- god Scott, I can’t take another one. My house was only made for one and there’s already three. And- and he’s practically a baby!?” Phil rambled.

Scott sighed, “Yeah I know, it’s just for a little while though. We’re working on finding a permanent family for the kid but for now I think it would be better to have him in a little bit of a child-friendly environment.”

The toddler’s small eyes opened and blinked up at Scott. Scott hushed at the child that giggled and reached its grubby little hands towards his face, desperately trying to rip at his hair.

“Scott, I - what are boys gonna think when I come home with a literal toddler,” Phil shook his head.

“I know it’s a lot to ask Phil I really do, but me and Schlatt have been struggling trying to keep the shop running while also trying to keep this squirt alive,” Scott made a pleading expression at Phil, “I definitely don’t pay that kid enough to baby sit.”

Phil glanced back down at the boy that’s bright blue eyes were wandering all over the room. Wispy blonde hair poked wildly out of the blanket keeping the kid contained in Scott’s lap.

Phil couldn’t leave the kid.

“Fine, just let me know when you find a permanent home for him okay?” 

Scott smiled thankfully and handed the swaddled up kid to Phil, the small weight felt right at home in his arms.

“I’ll let you know Phil, thank you,” Scott brought Phil into a hug and let the toddler grab onto his hand.

“Be good for Phil now Tommy okay?” he smiled sweetly at the giggling child. 

As Phil made his way out of the shop he saw the kid, Schlatt, wave at him. Phil saluted back earning him a sharp-toothed grin.

When Phil arrived home with a toddler swaddled up in his wings you could say his kids were a little bit shocked. As his feet met the winter grass outside the house, hurried footsteps approached from the cabin.

“Hey dad- huh?” Wilbur asked with a scrunched up expression as he stared at Phil, or more specifically the child in Phil’s arms.

“Uh, well surprise,” Phil let out a nervous laugh as his son stared at the kid. Techno walked out of the cabin and paused on the porch as he watched the altercation.

“What bu- when, how?” Wilbur spluttered out as he got closer to the boy.

A little hand reached toward him but Wilbur ignored it to look closer at the child.

“His name's Tommy, we're just keeping him until Scott can find someone else to take him,” Phil explained as he walked inside to lay the toddler down on his bed. 

Wilbur and Techno followed him in but Techno remained completely silent as he gazed at Tommy. Something about his expression unsettled Phil, he couldn’t place his finger on it and it left a sour feeling in his chest. However, at the time he had bigger issues. 

“He’s kinda cute isn’t he?” Wilbur laughed as the boy reached up at him and squealed. Wilbur let Tommy grab onto his hand and smiled as the small fingers wrapped around his own. 

“Yeah he is,” Phil laughed, “I just hope they find someone who can give this kid a proper home soon.”

“Yeah,” Wilbur nodded; his jubilant expression briefly flickered but as the baby pulled his hand closer his smile returned.

“We should let him sleep now, the kid had a long day,” Phil patted his son on the shoulder who reluctantly stepped away from the bed, “Will, Techno- huh?”

Phil paused as he looked behind him to where his other son no longer was. He was sure he had walked into the room with them, but he hadn’t noticed him leaving.

“Will, where’d Techno go?” Phil asked cautiously.

Wilbur just shrugged, “I wasn’t paying attention I don’t know.”

Something uncomfortable started to curl up in Phil’s chest as he gazed at where his first son had been standing. He couldn’t place what was wrong, but his mind drifted back to Techno’s odd expression as he watched Tommy. 

“Will, I’m gonna go find your brother. Watch Tommy while I’m gone,” he said a little more harshly than he would like before stepping out of the room to start his search.

Wilbur nodded nervously at his father and sat down besides Tommy. 

The first place Phil thought to look was his son’s room. He pushed open the squeaky door and was met with silence. The curtains fluttered gently but besides that it was empty. Phil muttered out a couple choice words and stormed out towards the front of the cabin.

He threw on his coat that had been resting on the kitchen table before taking off from the front door. He knew there was only one other place his son would be - the farm. 

When he arrived at the patch of farmland, there was once again no sign of the piglin. That’s when the angry thoughts started to replace themselves with much scarier feelings of panic. The situation reminded him a little too much of the times when Techno was still little and he would wander off into the middle of nowhere. 

Phil’s wings itched with fear as he flew around the forest, hoping that maybe his son had just gotten distracted on the way to the farm. As he flew back over the lake between the farm and the cabin he let out a breath of relief at the sight of a hunched over figure near the water’s edge. 

Phil gently landed behind his son who was staring into the water. He was about to call out to Techno to reprimand him for leaving when he heard a gentle snorting sound. Phil realized with a start that Techno was crying. He watched as his son pulled his legs into his chest and dug his clawed fingers into his sides.

Phil’s breath caught in his chest. He softly rested his hand on Techno’s shoulder who flinched as he snapped his head back towards Phil. His normally brown eyes were red with tears. Guilt over his own anger started to flood through Phil.

“Techno...what’s wrong?” Phil asked as he cautiously sat down besides his son, one of his wings subconsciously went to wrap around the boy who was quick to shove it away with his hoof. Phil’s heart tightened unpleasantly at the rejection.

Techno choked on his breath and shoved his face into his chest even farther as if he was trying to curl up on himself completely. 

“Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” Phil asked worriedly as he leaned towards the piglin.

There was no response except more heavy breaths and choked cries.

“Techno come on, son what’s going on?” 

After a minute of silence between the two Techno lifted his eyes to meet Phil’s worried ones. Tear marks stained his broken expression.  
He looked back into the still water and a heavy sob forced its way out of his mouth.

“I can’t swim.”

Phil looked at him with confusion, he didn’t think that that would really be something to cry about. Of course he couldn’t swim. He was a piglin after all.

“Well, you can do other thin-”

“I can’t write.”

Phil looked at him with confusion again; his eyebrows scrunched together as he struggled to put together a response.

“Well that doesn’t really ma-”

Techno’s heartbroken expression hardened, “Phil. I have tusks.”

At that Phil started to realize what this was about. He felt like his heart had dropped into his stomach. 

Phil moved closer to Techno and once again wrapped his wings around the boy. This time Techno didn’t resist, but he still didn’t lean in to the affection like he normally would.

“Oh, Techno,” Phil whispered sadly, “You...you know I don’t care right?”

Techno glared out at the lake but didn’t give a response. 

“Techno,” Phil tried to turn his son to look at him but he pushed Phil away again.

“Techno...you know I’m not trying to replace you right?” Phil asked gently.

Techno looked down away from him.

That was it, Phil thought.

“Techno please look at me,” Phil pleaded as he rested his hands on Techno’s shoulder who just barely turned so his eyes could meet Phil’s.

Phil stared into Techno’s eyes hoping that if he put enough power into his words it would reach the anguished boy, “Techno I’m not replacing you, I love you so so much… I don’t care what you look like or what you can or can’t do, you’re still family to me. You’re still my son.”

Techno started to tear up again but this time he gave in to his father’s comfort and leaned against his chest. Phil wrapped his arms around his son and rubbed small circles against his back.

“Techno I love you for you,” Phil whispered against the shaking boy’s head, “If I cared I wouldn’t have taken you in in the first place.”

Techno slowly nodded, and Phil felt relieved he was finally making some progress.

“Techno can you talk to me? Is this because of Tommy?”

Again Techno nodded, as more sobs shook through his body.

“Techno. Just because you look different doesn’t mean I love you any less,” Phil pulled the piglin even closer against his chest as he continued, “Taking you into my life has been one of the best choices I ever made, nothing is ever gonna change that. Okay?”

Techno’s breaths became even more uneven as the boy struggled to calm down. Phil hummed softly as he rubbed circles over his shivering back.

“Techno, I love you so so much. I would never want to replace you. You mean the world to me,” Phil said softly, “Now come on, let’s get you home. Will’s probably getting worried about you, yeah?”

Techno nodded thankfully to Phil who wiped his tears off with his wing. He grabbed Techno’s hand and together they walked back home.

The sight they walked back to was definitely a shock however. Wilbur was struggling trying to grab a soup bowl from Tommy who was running circles around him.

“Come on you dumb child do you want to eat or no? You can starve!” Wilbur shouted as he chased after the laughing boy.

Phil laughed in awe of the situation and Techno snorted. Phil was glad his son’s shaking had finally stopped. 

Wilbur finally caught up to the kid and snatched the bowl from his grip, but right before he could get up Tommy lunged to grab Wilbur’s beanie.

“Hey you dick!”

Techno smiled happily, “Y’know dad...I think I’m gonna like this kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! (if you don't celebrate it i love you and am thankful for you anyway). This chapter was done instead of studying so wish my grades luck, more family fluff for you and Phil has finally collected the full set. Also little Schlatt because I like the idea of the goat child.
> 
> Also for reference Schlatt and Wilbur are around 14, Techno is around 11, and Tommy is almost 2 :)


	8. Step 8: Keep Your Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keep Your Son (he's too violent for anyone else)

Phil counted himself lucky that when he found Techno and Wilbur they were already old enough to be able to survive on their own. They would cause trouble and make dumb choices sure, but Phil never felt like he always had to be on top of them.

Tommy was a different story.

After a couple months it became evident that the boy was an absolute terror; it felt like every time Phil turned around Tommy was doing something potentially deadly. Any day where he didn’t have to hear, “Tommy has a knife!” coming from either of his sons was a success in Phil’s book. After walking into his son’s room to find Tommy swinging around a lantern with an actual fucking flame in it, Phil had reached his limit.

“God dammit you little monster put that down,” Phil yelped as he swooped in to pull the fire from toddler.

The boy laughed like a hyena before ducking ducking under Phil’s legs to presumably cause more trouble elsewhere in the house. His little red shoes squeaked viciously against the wooden floor.

Phil pinched out the small flame in the lantern and carefully placed it back down on Techno’s bedside table.

“Fuck... what am I supposed to do,” Phil let out a deep sigh as he allowed himself to collapse back against Techno’s bed. His eyes squeezed shut as he rubbed out the migraine building in his temple. Stars and lines danced across his vision. Two grey wings spread lazily across the covers; Phil hadn’t had time to manage them recently so he was sure they looked like an absolute mess.

Tommy was a sweet albeit wild kid. He had taken to both of his sons very well; however, his sons were struggling to love the boy in the same way. Tommy liked to touch all of Wilbur’s things (especially his beloved guitar) which resulted in many heated fights between the teen and the boy. With Techno it was different. Tommy found the piglin’s appearance quite fascinating, which while it was cute, Techno found it rather annoying. Often while holding the boy he’d latch on to Techno’s ears or tusks and refuse to let go.

Phil really loved the kid but sometimes he’d stare out the front door hoping a man on horseback would arrive announcing a new permanent home for Tommy. The winged man rolled over onto his face and groaned in guilt. He shouldn’t be thinking like that, the kid had no family for god’s sake. And he was young. He was so so young.

A moment later Phil heard a loud crash from the kitchen and a deep shout accompanied by a higher pitched shriek. He pulled his wings over his body hoping that maybe if he ignored it long enough the problem would fix itself.

That was not the case.

“Dad dad dad we need you,” Wilbur shouted as he slid through the doorway. Phil lifted his head slowly and groaned at his disheveled looking son.

“Can’t you fix it yourself Wilbur?” Wilbur shook his head quickly and pulled at Phil’s arm, “No Techno’s hurt-”

“Huh?” Phil jumped up at that.

Wilbur gripped his arm tight as he dragged him to the kitchen. Broken glass covered the floor where Tommy and Techno sat. A frightened Tommy was trying to crawl onto Techno’s lap who just kept pushing him away; blood dripped from his forehead.

“Sorry Teno,” Tommy whimpered as the piglin groaned in pain.

“Hey what happened?” Phil said sternly as he lifted both kids and pulled them away from the glass.

“Cup I- I gwabbed it,” Tommy breathed heavily as he frantically tried to explain what had happened. His little arms waived around as he attempted to explain the situation.

Phil calmly shushed Tommy and sat them both down at the kitchen table. He motioned for them to stay as he pulled out a towel to start cleaning up Techno’s wound.

“It’s okay Tommy. It was an accident,” Phil hummed, “Are you okay Techno?”

Techno gave a slow nod in response as the wet towel brushed against the slash on his forehead.

“It’s ok...Tommy was on the counter, I pulled him down and the glass broke,” Techno explained with a wince. Phil hummed in response as a bandage was stuck onto the slash.

“That should be good for now, Tommy you should say sorry to your brother ay?” Phil asked the small frightened boy.

Tommy threw himself at the much larger piglin and hugged him tight, “I’m sorry Teno.”

Hooves hands wrapped around the smaller boy as Techno placed him on his hip, “It’s okay Tommy.” Tommy hugged Techno closer who let out a gentle snort to reassure the worried child.

“Awe look at you two so cute Techno,” Wilbur joked from beside Phil.

“Yeah, very funny...Wilby,” Techno replied with a grin as Tommy shifted around in his lap to face the other two. Wilbur grimaced at the nickname.

“You wanna hug Wilby?” Tommy gleamed as he reached out his arms towards the other teen.

“Huh oh uh no it’s fine really,” Wilbur muttered back but Tommy didn’t accept that as an answer. Techno helped him onto the floor and as soon as his shoes met wood, he latched onto Wilbur’s leg. Phil laughed as Wilbur tried to shoo the wild toddler off, though he knew if Wilbur really didn’t want the affection he could just push him away.

“I'm hugging Wilby,” Tommy grinned as Wilbur finally managed to shrug off the clingy boy.

“Yeah yeah, get off child,” Wilbur grunted but Phil suspected it was just an act. He knew Wilbur really was the most fond of Tommy, even if he didn’t like to admit it. Every once in a while when they all went to their small farm together Tommy would fall asleep on Wilbur’s lap as he strummed on his old guitar. His blonde hair smushed up against Wilbur’s chest as he slept soundly in the comforting presence of the older teen.

It was nice seeing his family so happy, even if it was after Tommy accidentally hurt one of them.

The rest of the year with Tommy went similarly. Tommy would follow one of the boys around for the day and cause some kind of trouble before passing out in Wilbur’s arms to the familiar sound of his guitar. Every night he’d ask to be sung to sleep and even though Wilbur begrudged it he always complied to the boy’s wishes.

Tommy had grown a little taller over the year and his voice seemed to get louder and louder, yet he still stayed just as rebellious. If anything, the more he could talk and the faster he could run, the more trouble he seemed to cause.

One of his new favorite activities was messing with Techno while he was sparring. He’d run up with a stick and hit the unsuspecting piglin who’d laugh as the young boy attacked. He’d pretend to fight back, but he usually let Tommy win. After a couple strikes from the kid Techno would dramatically fall down and declare Tommy’s victory. It was truly endearing to Phil to see his son’s fondness for the boy.

So when Scott arrived on horseback in the middle of one of Techno and Tommy’s adorable sparring matches, Phil felt nothing but dread fill his heart.

The horse whinnied as it reared back to settle near the porch. Techno ushered for Tommy to come to him and the boy complied, jumping up into the piglin’s waiting arms.

“Hey Phil,” Scott waved as he tethered off his steed, “Hey boys.”

“Hey Scott,” Phil said nervously from the porch, Wilbur had come up behind him and was standing still in the doorway. His eyes locked on to Scott as if he was afraid of what he would do.

“Seem kinda nervous Phil? What’s up, I’ve got good news for you,” Scott said as he sat down on their porch besides Phil.

“Nothing much Scott, what’s going on?”

“Well, I know it took a while but finally we found a good home for Tommy,” Scott replied, “I can take the little guy off your hands now, you’ve been a great help Phil.”

Phil felt his breath catch in his throat as his gaze shifted to Tommy who was still resting in Techno’s arms. The hooved hands pulled him in closer to the piglin. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Wilbur tense up, his posture straightened and his mouth drew into a thin line.

“Oh that's...that's great,” Phil let out, “Tommy uh...come here. It's time to go with Scott.” Phil motioned for Tommy but the boy clung onto Techno even harder. He looked at Phil with scared eyes.

“Dad…” Techno said softly.

“Come on Techno,” Phil replied, “You knew this would happen.”

Suddenly, Scott’s eyes widened in understanding.

“Oh, if you want to keep him that’s okay. I’ll just let the family know. I’m sure they won’t mind,” Scott explained, his hands up beside him.

Phil smiled thankfully at his old friend, “Is...is that okay?” Scott laughed and nodded.

“They’re too cute to separate anyway yeah?” he chuckled as he motioned towards Techno and Tommy. Techno just grinned in response as he walked over to properly greet Scott.

“Yeah they are...Hey Scott, why don’t you stay for dinner?” Phil suggested to his friend with a smile.

Scott nodded and pulled the small family into a proper hug, “That sounds great Phil.”

“Yeah yeah yeah!” Tommy shouted as he dropped down from Techno’s side and ran into the house.

Wilbur huffed out a laugh and Phil sighed deeply as he followed the child into the cabin, Scott and his sons trailed behind.

Soft warm light shined in from the window making the cabin feel homely and kind. The chatter between his sons and Scott filled the room nicely, like the walls were amplifying their words. In the midst of the calm Phil heard something hit the floor and an excited squeak.

“Tommy whatever you have put it down!” he yelled into the cabin, causing Scott to laugh boisterously. All Phil got in response was a wild cackle and the sound of shoes stomping against the floor.

“God this kid is gonna kill me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is kinda slow sorry finals are stressing me out, the next chapter will be split between Tommy, Wilbur, and Techno and it'll introduce a couple new people (tubbo?) :)


	9. Step 9: Meet the Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the friends (and don't lose your kid)

Tommy had always wanted to go with his dad into town. Phil had no problems taking either Techno or Will with him, but whenever Tommy asked to go the answer was always “no” or “when you’re older”.

Tommy WAS older, or at least he was tired of waiting to be older.

So when Phil had finally agreed to take him into town for his fourth birthday Tommy had been ecstatic. The boy sprinted across the wooden floors of the cabin, throwing random things into his scuffed-up backpack: an apple, a scratched up maroon bandana, a couple rocks, Techno’s old wooden sword, and an empty jar - just the necessities for any three year old. 

Phil had taken one glance into the bag and laughed; his hand went to ruffle Tommy’s hair who huffed in disdain. The boy dramatically crossed his arms and turned away from his father, his backpack clutched tightly to his chest.

When Phil finally arrived at town with Tommy clutching to his back, the boy’s eyes went wide with excitement. He dropped down onto the ground and stared at all the people in awe. The waves of people were almost overwhelming since he was so used to empty fields and only really having his brother's and father around. There was so much to look at and so many places to explore that Tommy's mind raced thinking about all the possibilities.

With Tommy’s excitement running rampant it only took 15 minutes before Phil had officially lost him.

Tommy had just intended to mess with his dad. He wanted adventure and he was already old enough in his opinion to go out by himself. He was a big man after all, and his dad was so so slow. So when his adopted father wasn’t looking he ran away to hide between the walls of two little shops. He didn’t mean to actually lose his dad.

Tommy giggled from behind the wall of the small flower shop, he expected Phil to come find him and scold him any minute, but as time passed he started to get more and more confused. He peaked out from behind the wall and when he saw no sign of Phil’s green hat or his long coat panic started to fill his mind.

But he’d be fine. He could deal with it.

“I’m a big man. I’m a big man,” he whispered to himself over and over again with clenched fists, “I'm a big man. I'm the biggest man."

“What are you talking about?” 

Tommy shrieked at the new voice and whipped around in a fighting stance only to come face to face with another boy, probably not much older than himself.

“Die!” Tommy yelled as he pushed the brown haired kid down flat against the floor.

The shorter boy yelped in both pain and surprise and looked at Tommy with wide eyes, “Why’d you do that?”

“I’m a big man, big men fight,” Tommy growled, though his high pitched voice was not too intimidating. Whenever his older brother’s sparred they’d say big frightening words; he hoped he was just as scary

“That’s not very nice,” the other boy pouted as he brushed the dirt off from his clothes, “You’re not a very nice big man.”

“Big men aren’t nice...They’re manly,” Tommy nodded to himself causing the other boy to laugh.

“Why?”

Tommy had never thought about why before, so he stopped to think before responding, “Because they’re big...My big brother Techy is big, and he fights.”

The other boy looked up at Tommy and laughed in response. Tommy growled at the laughter (that’s what Techy would do) and struck a fighting pose with his fists out in the air. 

The kid didn’t seem to find it very intimidating though and a doofy grin spread across his face.

“Okay big man.”

“That’s not my name, you make it sound bad” Tommy huffed, “I’m Tommy.”

The boy smiled and waved at him, “Hi, Tommy big man. I’m Tubbo.”

Tommy finally let the sneer slip off his face, he guessed the kid was okay.

“You live here?” Tommy asked as he plopped down on the ground next to Tubbo; his legs crossed and his hands in his lap. He dug out an apple from his backpack and took an obnoxiously loud bite.

“Yep,” Tubbo replied, “Do you?”

Tommy took another bite and shook his head, his blonde hair flopped over his eyes since Phil hadn’t cut it in a while.

“I live with dad,” Tommy replied with a nod, “And my brothers.”

He thought for a second before adding on, “They’re awesome.”

Tubbo chuckled and nodded at his explanation. He pointed out from the alley towards the other side of the street, “I live over there.”

Tommy gazed out to where Tubbo was pointing and saw a little cottage-looking house, it looked much less cool than his own in his opinion. 

“I live in the trees,” Tommy grinned proudly.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Near a lake. And a farm!”

Tubbo’s eyes widened excitedly at that, “Do you have animals?”

Tommy nodded happily and waved his hands around as he explained to his new friend, “We have chickens, and a cow. No pigs though. We can’t have pigs.”

“Oh?” Tubbo tilted his head to the side.

“Yeah. My brothers a pig,” Tommy nodded, “And one day I’ll be as big and strong as him.”

Tubbo squinted in confusion and hesitated, “I- I have a bee...is that my brother?”

Tommy laughed loudly at Tubbo, “No that’s dumb. That’s a bee, my brother’s not a bee. He can talk. And he has a sword! It's very sharp.”

Tubbo still looked confused but nodded at Tommy to go on.

“He’s big and strong and he lets me come with him to farm. Also I have Wilby. He’s nice to me, and he plays nice music.”

Tubbo tilted his head, “Is he a pig?”

Tommy raised a brow at Tubbo, “No, why would he be a pig?”

Tubbo shook his head and laughed at the younger boy, “I don’t know. Why are you here though?”

Tommy looked out of the little side alley the two were sitting in but still saw no sign of his dad.

“I lost dad,” Tommy paused before turning back to his friend, “He’ll come.”

Tubbo nodded slowly, “Do you want help?”

Tommy thought for a second before smiling at Tubbo, “Yeah, you can help big man.”

The two of them walked out from behind the flower shop together, the sounds of the crowds became overwhelming now that they were no longer being muted by the closed off brick walls. Tubbo looked back and forth and jumped back as two tall men almost bumped into the pair. His hand reached back to Tommy’s as he pulled him forward through the groups of people. 

Tommy glued his eyes to the back of Tubbo’s head as he latched onto his hand; he was afraid if he let go he’d lose his new friend among the noise and bustle of the townspeople. 

Tommy let the boy pull him through the roads as his eyes dutifully searched for any sign of his father. It wasn’t long before he saw a flash of green and a glimpse of soft gray feathers among the crowd.

“Dad!” he called out and even through all the noise Phil snapped his head towards him.

Within seconds he was wrapped up in his father’s arms, Phil lifted him off the ground and held him close while Tubbo stood by. Phil didn’t let him go until the sound of a quiet cough came from his left. 

Phil gazed down at the boy he previously hadn’t noticed and Tommy pulled the kid forward by his arm with a smile.

“Dad this is Tubbo,” Tommy grinned, “I found him in an alley.”

Phil quirked up an eyebrow and let a surprised laugh escape, “Huh, well it’s nice to meet you Tubbo.”

Tubbo tightened his grip on Tommy’s hand and waved nervously at Phil with a dopey smile on his face.

Phil returned the action with a lazy salute before turning back to his son. His face immediately changed into a more serious expression.

“Tommy. Never do that again okay? I was worried about you,” Phil scolded.

Tommy looked down at his shoes which had suddenly become interesting. He gave a hesitant nod before he was pulled into another hug from his father.

“You know I love you Toms, don’t worry me like that.”

Tommy nodded again but this time he smiled up at his dad. Suddenly a large yawn escaped his body which Phil took as their cue to leave. 

Tommy said his goodbyes to his new friend and promised that he’d come visit again (‘as long as he didn’t run off’ Phil added). Tommy pulled Tubbo into a long hug and swayed him back and forth causing them both to laugh.

After a minute Phil interrupted the moment by motioning for Tommy. The blond boy reluctantly pulled away from the embrace to jump onto Phil’s back. He waved goodbye to his friend before they took off together. The wind whipped across his face, and even though it made his eyes sting he made sure to look for Tubbo until the clouds blocked his view. 

Calm washed over him as he nuzzled into his father’s back; the soft feathers cushioned his body as he let the rhythmic pounding of the wings lull him to sleep. 

As they flew back home Tommy’s dreams were filled with farms, bees, and a brown-haired boy in green.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to have all three sections of them making friends together but instead I am going to separate them into different chapters im sorry. But Techno's chapter will be next :)  
> Also the exile stream hurt me so badly so I needed to write Tommy and Tubbo cute interactions to cure my sadness


End file.
